


Trip The Light Fantastic

by watercolouredreams



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: Costumes, Dancing, First Kiss, First Meetings, Halloween Costumes, House Party, Love at First Sight, M/M, Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:41:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22435054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watercolouredreams/pseuds/watercolouredreams
Summary: Ben goes to seniors' Halloween party at the Maleks' dressed up as Rogerina after he lost a bet with his friends. There, he meets the mysterious and captivating pink-haired Archer, and he won't leave until he finds out who he is.
Relationships: Ben Hardy & Joe Mazzello, Ben Hardy/Joe Mazzello
Comments: 11
Kudos: 34
Collections: Hardzzello Week 2019





	Trip The Light Fantastic

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written as part of Hardzello Week 2019, inspired by the wonderful fan art [Archer x Rogerina](https://www.instagram.com/p/B4kNeqJBn5b/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link) by [@vla2three](https://www.instagram.com/vla2three/) on Instagram. She's so freakin' talented and I'm a huge fan.

**_Your body is poetry, speak to me //_** **_Can’t you see it’s you I’m watching?_ **

**_(Archer x Rogerina, AU)_ **

It’s somewhat ironic that tonight the Archer is the one who is being watched instead of the one watching, as far as the nature of the character goes. But Ben just can’t take his eyes off of the pink-haired, pale-skinned figure, dancing with reckless abandon to a cover of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You. It’s sung by a female in lilting English, and remade to be slightly dancier than the original. It fits the sway of the Archer’s slender hips, smooth footwork and hand movement, and then there’s a body roll thrown in there a few times, coupled with the occasional smirk he could see on the Archer’s face, and Ben thinks he’s sweating a little under his not-form-fitting, all-airy-cotton, Rogerina costume. 

Which is ridiculous, if he thinks about it. Both the costume and the predicament he finds himself in right now. But okay, obviously he lost this stupid bet with Andy and Jack so they get to show up in some cool get up and he has to wear a schoolgirl uniform with a blonde wig in ponytails. Doesn’t stop him from chugging his beer as usual, though. But looking at the Archer now, sashaying hips under the green tunic belted at the waist, and going for a couple of upper body rolls--and goddamnit that smirk and lip-bite--Ben has to clear his throat a little. The song has changed, and he barely notices. The Archer is dancing solo, a complete natural, confidently navigating bodies and space on the dancefloor. 

He realizes he is staring. Somewhere at the back of his head, a voice tells him to stop, and _maybe close your mouth a little before you start drooling_.

He also realizes now that he doesn’t even know if the Archer is a guy or a girl. After all, the place is crowded and dim, it’s a Halloween party and people are dressed up as all sorts of characters, as whatever gender, and even things. 

He watches on as another song comes on, the Archer finally going up to a group of people, and Ben actually knows two of them; Rami, the rich kid in senior year, a Business major, who hosts this party with his twin brother Sami, and his girlfriend Lucy, who is a sophomore like Ben. So the Archer is one of their friends, Ben concludes as they lean into each other closely, talking over the noise of the music and crowd. The Archer laughs at something Lucy says, head thrown back a little. Did he just glimpse a slight curve of Adam’s apple? 

There’s only one way to figure it out for sure. He has to go up and talk to the Archer before the night ends.

And the opportunity presents itself sooner than later. The Archer gets back to dancing on the floor after that, before heading to the direction of the kitchen as the song ends. Ben keeps his gaze steady, not wanting to lose sight of the pink-haired Archer, who stopped by to say hi to a few people en route. All seniors. Ben recognizes their faces. But why can’t he quite point out who this mysterious Archer is? And who gave the right for this pink-haired whoever-it-is to dance like that? The walk isn’t gracefully feminine, but there’s a certain softness about the exposed arms and legs that keeps him guessing. Does it matter? The way he no longer cares for anyone else’s existence in the room is telling him that no, it doesn’t. What matters is the fact that he wouldn’t leave the party without at least getting a name.

So he follows the Archer to the kitchen, palming his skirt-covered hip to pull out his pack of cigarettes. Whoever thought of putting a pocket on a skirt is a bloody genius. The pack and the lighter barely even show. From the kitchen entrance he could see the Archer drinking something dark from a plastic cup while sitting on the kitchen counter, swinging dangling legs in short and leisurely movement, talking and smiling up to a good-looking guy in a Red Power Ranger costume, and instead of the character’s mask, he has a pair of aviator sunglasses on instead. How tacky. Power Ranger guy laughs at something the pink-haired Archer said, while the Archer himself is smiling wide. Ben feels a little gutted. He’s finally near enough to be within earshot, and Red Power Ranger guy is saying something about going out around back to check out the swimming pools at the side of the Maleks’ gated mansion.

“Sure, just don’t do what I wouldn’t do, Chace.”

“That’s pretty much broad spectrum, _Joe_.” So Ben got himself a name. It’s Joe. For some reason it immediately begins gaining traction in his mind, he has heard this name before, he should be one of those seniors that most people at school knows, maybe Lucy has even talked about him before. It’s just something pretty normal in any art school, to have certain people who are usually known for something, whatever that something is. A famous background, a cult fanbase, an existing career. He wonders what Joe’s is. But then again, until he gets a family name, his first name is pretty common, and there could easily be another undergrad with the same name, and the same well-known reputation.

“You’re right. And fuck off.” Joe grins and Chace laughs, walking out of the back door. If anything, they seem to be very good friends.

It doesn’t take long for Joe to notice him standing a little past the kitchen doorway.

“Hey,” Ben could only hope it comes out as casual and normal as he thinks he sounded like in his head. Not _jitterbuggy_. The music has changed again, and they’re playing something retro, right out of the 80’s.

“Hey yourself,” Joe is smiling at him now, and Ben feels like he’s about to trip on nothing and crash right into Joe, preferably right into his arms.

“Got a light?” _Zeus, I sound so dumb_ , he mentally curses himself. 

“I don’t smoke, sorry.”

“ _Oh_ .” He was about to come up with something, _anything else_ to say when Joe beats him to it.

“But--” Joe leans to his side and starts rummaging through some articles on the kitchen counter. Several seconds later, he holds up a small kitchen lighter in his hand. “It’s good to know your way around,” he wiggles his eyebrows a little and smirks. _That damn smirk_. He takes a step closer to Joe, leans forward with his cigarette between his lips as he holds the light out for him. He takes a drag as he leans back on his heel. “Sure, and thanks.” He turns to the side to let out the smoke, and then back again to smile at Joe. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“Hardly.” Joe tilts his head a little and raises his eyebrows. “Smoking can kill you, _Rogerina_.”

Ben laughs. “So does a car accident. And alcohol.” _And watching you dance_ , Ben thinks, keeping the thought to himself.

Joe laughs around his cup. “I guess every morning I wake up I die a little?”

“Can barely stand on my feet, yeah.”

“A Queen fan.”

“Who’d also lost a bet, yes.”

Joe smiles and Ben thinks he’s quickly spiraling into some kind of trouble. “The look suits you, though.” All Ben could think of, though, was the way Joe moved to the beat of the song earlier, all slender arms and sharp hips. 

“Thanks for being nice, the thighs probably need more work--” his eyes follows Joe’s as they go to the body part in question and stays there for a couple of seconds too long for it to be entirely innocent.

“I know what you mean,” Joe raises his eyebrows a little, smirking behind his drink and Ben is trying to figure out whether he’s judging or flirting with him. “But hey, they make the rockin’ world go ‘round.”

_Holy shit, are we flirting?_ Ben raises his own eyebrows in reply. Joe laughs a little. “What, you mean you’re really here for a light?”

Ben feels his heartbeat quickens as he takes a step closer. “So what if I really am?”

Joe is smirking again, and he has to tell himself to keep breathing normally. “Has anyone told you not to stare at people you don’t know on the dancefloor?”

“Yes, maybe,” he says even as Joe leans closer. They’re gravitating towards each other. “But I just, really, really like your costume.”

Joe hums low in his throat, smiling, his eyes darting from Ben’s eyes to his lips, and Ben realizes a little too late that he’s been staring at Joe’s all this while. “Sure you do.” He closes his eyes as their lips meet. Joe tastes sweet like the Coke and rum he has been drinking, and the way he’s sucking slowly on Ben’s lower lip is making him lose his mind a little. He barely realizes it when he takes that last step that brings him right up against the kitchen cabinet, right up close to where Joe is sitting atop it, both knees on either side of Ben’s hips. The side of his palm and curled little finger grazes bare pale skin as Joe slides forward a little and the olive-green tunic he’s wearing rides up his thigh with the movement. Ben is still holding his lit cigarette between his pointer and middle finger, but it’s all but long forgotten now. Who needs a cigarette when he could be kissing and sucking sweetly on lips like this.

He could swear he doesn’t even know when did Joe get his hands on his hips, but when they pull apart, Joe turns a familiar-looking lighter between his fingers. “Tell me what do I do with a pretty little liar like you?”

“Whatever you want, really,” he says in between breaths, and he’ll be damned if he didn’t just say it like he really means it.

“Should probably set you on fire,” Joe murmurs against his lips, _damn that smirk_ , and when they kiss again it’s all tongues and burning hot fingers on the side of his face and under his blonde wig, one hand on his back pulling him in closer. He hates thinking about his hand that is uselessly holding his abandoned cigarette, while the other is gripping slender thigh underneath olive-green fabric.

But it’s when Joe slides further, closing any and all gap between them, that Ben couldn’t help but gasp into the kiss. It confirms his suspicion from the moment that Joe slid his tongue into his mouth, that he’s hard now. But so is Joe, if the hardness he could feel alongside his, separated by layers of fabric, is what he thinks it is. “Fuck,” he mouths against the soft skin between his jaw and neck when Joe thrust himself a little upwards, giving a little pressure and creating friction between their hardness.

“You? Oh, not here,” Joe says hotly in his ears, and he thinks if his legs aren’t propped against the kitchen cabinet and his hand holding onto Joe’s hip as tightly as he is right now, he’d find himself unable to support his own weight, standing up. “Not yet.” He wants so badly to not think about the fact that they’re at a party with potentially anyone either of them know walking in on them right now.

“I haven’t even gotten your name,” Joe says, and Ben pulls himself together to look at Joe before telling him his name.

“Hey, Ben,” Joe says, smiling, before kissing him again, but this time his hands moves to his sides to grip the edge of the kitchen counter, as he lifts himself a little and pushes against Ben as he slides down to stand up. This time, they both moan a little harder into the kiss at the friction. Ben could feel himself getting a little lightheaded even as his hands are holding Joe tightly against him. He dimly remembers discarding his cigarette, all burned up to a stub, into the kitchen sink a little to his left, right after letting Joe know his name. 

“Ben,” Joe says again, between kisses that they can’t seem to stop themselves from. Ben could blame this dizzying desire from the excitement of hitting on someone he doesn’t know at a party, but the only thing he could think of is how much he likes the sound of his name between Joe’s lips, and how he wants those lips everywhere else on him too. “I can’t leave Rami’s party without saying goodbye,” he continues, “but would you like to get out of here with me anyway?" Between him smiling sweetly at him, one hand under his chin and another on his waist, Ben thinks he might have forgotten that a word called 'no' exists in the English language vocabulary. 

"Yes," he says a little breathlessly, "yes, of course," he says, closing in for another kiss without waiting for Joe to pull him in. They kiss slower this time, calmer, and Joe finds his hand and laced their fingers together before pulling away.

"Joe, by the way, _nice to meet you_ , Ben," Joe says with a glint of cheekiness in his eyes, and Ben thinks, _I know_ , he really actually knows, he's in trouble, a lot of it, he really, bloody is, and it's called Joe with-no-last-name-yet. But Joe is still smiling at him, his eyes shining hazel-amber bright, looking right into his own, and he swallows the saccharine-sweet remainder of their kiss down his throat. Their hands are still joined, fingers laced together, even as Joe steps back, making a move to head to the kitchen doorway. 

"So let's get out of here."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this does justice to the beautiful, gorgeous fanart! 
> 
> Should this remain a one-shot, or would you like to know more of what happens next to these two? Let me know in the comments ❤️


End file.
